A podiatrist is a foot doctor who is able to diagnose and treat various medical conditions related to feet, ankles, and sometimes even leg structures.
Podiatrists are the only health care professionals whose training focuses solely on the care of feet. They’re able to treat nearly any foot problem including the more common ones such as bunions, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, and warts.
Importance of Foot Care
Caring for your feet is a very important process that is often overlooked. Not all care must be done by your podiatrist either. Basic foot care can start at home. The best care you can give to your feet is routine hygiene. Keeping your feet clean, dry, and moisturized and trimming the nails properly is a great start. You should also take care to ensure that you have proper fitting footwear as shoes that fit too tightly can lead to hardened areas of skin, ingrown toenails, and even bunions. Make sure your shoes have enough room in the front for you to move your toes.
What a Podiatrist Can Do
If regular care is not done routinely, you may find that your feet develop a corn or callous. Often when your feet reach this point it can be painful to remove the build-up, but with the help of your podiatrist, routine care, and proper footwear -your feet will be back to normal in no time. Your podiatrist can also advise you footwear that will provide better support to your feet and help reduce the amount of shock or stress absorbed by your feet, as well as your joints.
Treatments
Podiatrist also treat a wide variety of infections and bacterial problems that occur with feet including:
- Toenail fungus
- Athlete’s foot
- Wounds
- Infected ingrown toenails
While many people assume that these conditions are treatable at home, if left untreated for too long many infections can spread and become worse. It is best to see your podiatrist about treatment options as soon as possible.
For more information on foot care in Houston, or to learn more about treatment options for foot infections, fungus, or injuries contact Dr Lamarra of Shepherd Square Podiatry today.
Tags: Foot Care, Prevention, Toenail